The World Bank's (WB) Worldwide Governance Indicator (WGI) shows that Bangladesh performed poorly in the rule of law, government effectiveness, and regulatory quality but did well in control of corruption, political stability and accountability.

Owners' tendency to control workers using muscle power, especially engaging local politicians and jhoot (garment wastes) businessmen, and government's indifferent attitude to solving problems of workers have caused the recent unrest in garment sector, said labour leaders.

Bangladesh Navy terms "undesirable" the news recently published in different national dailies on its problems and development plans and says the media didn't take the "views" of the Headquarters or ISPR.

The BNP parliamentary party (BNPPP) yesterday alleged that the government did not allow opposition lawmakers to perform their role in parliament and again urged the speaker and ruling party to ensure 'appropriate atmosphere' for joining the House.

Only seven power companies have dropped their technical and financial bids in the tender for a dual fuel 150 megawatt (MW) power project in Khulna under the newly formed North-West Power Generation Company Ltd (NWPGCL).

Detective Branch (DB) of police yesterday arrested Sultanganj Union Parisad Chairman Monir Hossain on charge of firing gunshots on a crowd in Keraniganj on June 9 that left a man dead and another wounded.

The High Court (HC) yesterday stayed the trial courts' verdicts against Jatiya Party (JP-Manju) Chairman Anwar Hossain Manju in three cases in which he was convicted and sentenced to 27 years' imprisonment.

Bangladesh Public Service Commission (PSC) will hold the preliminary test of the 29th Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) examinations at 10:00am on August 14 in all centres of Dhaka, Chittagong, Rajshahi, Khulna, Barisal and Sylhet simultaneously.

Taliban militants in a tribal region bordering Afghanistan say they have pulled out of a peace deal with the government, raising the prospect of wider unrest as the Pakistani army extends its efforts to eliminate insurgents.

The US Supreme Court has quietly put off deciding whether it will take up the case of black death row inmate Troy Davis who for 20 years has insisted he did not kill a white policeman, a source close to Davis said yesterday.

Al-Qaeda's North Africa wing threatened on Tuesday to take revenge on France for its opposition to the burka, calling on Muslims to retaliate against the country, the US monitoring service SITE Intelligence reported.

Editorial

WE had thought that after two days of mayhem and vandalism in Ashulia, matters would settle down and conditions would go back to being normal. But the outrage that was perpetrated on Monday through the destruction of six factories, two warehouses and some vehicles of Ha-Meem group has left us, indeed the rest of the country, in a state of profound shock. The vandalism that had been going on took an even more violent form on Monday, with workers participating in the destruction in a manner hardly imaginable. And it is not just Ha-Meem that has been the target of the attacks. Fifty other factories and more than twenty vehicles were also left damaged on the day.

THE Tk 1411.58 crore budget of Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) for FY 2009-10 unveiled by its Mayor Sadeq Hossain Khoka evokes more criticism than praise because of its flawed allocation pattern. The sector-wise allocations made in it are by and large reflective of lopsided prioritisation.

WE are in real danger of mutating into a medieval society. That is the disturbing thought which comes our way from Debidwar in Comilla. A so-called fatwa has led to a woman and a man being humiliated through a crack of the whip no fewer than three hundred and three times. And those who perpetrated the deed, or the misdeed, have informed us that the two victims, Piara Begum and Mamun Mia, were whipped because they had indulged in anti-social activity. The nature of the activity has not been spelt out. But that does not really matter.

THERE are as many reasons why the academic environment in college and university campuses nationwide has been deteriorating as there are national political parties. Eruption of violence among student groups has resurfaced with monotonous regularity soon after Awami League's landslide election sweep. Although I had been thinking about this situation for some time now, two successive incidents in one week triggered this piece.

David Morgan, the International Cricket Council (ICC) president, has hinted that Test cricket may be reduced to four days to protect and enrich the game's oldest format in the face of lucrative Twenty20 leagues like the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Sri Lankan batsman Sanath Jayasuriya, who turned 40 on Tuesday, has said he wants to carry on until the 2011 World Cup. "I would love to. I am taking each series at a time. Hopefully I will get there. Age is not a problem, it is how you stay mentally and physically fit to remain on top of the game, to try out new variations in the bat and ball," Jayasuriya told AFP.

Chittagong, Narail, Khulna, Chapainawabganj, Lalmonir-hat and Narayanganj have emerged as zonal champions to reach the final round of the 2nd Grameen-Danone Nations Cup Football Tournament on the third and last day yesterday.

As Michael Vaughan, a major pillar of England's 2005 Ashes success, calls time on his career, the current group of players hoping to replicate his feat of four years ago have been quick to laud his contribution.

John Buchanan has arrived in England and held discussions with national coach Andy Flower as part of a week-long fact-finding mission he hopes will result in a broader role within the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).

Australia's top six will have few fears entering Wednesday's tour game in Worcester after Shane Watson was limited to walking around the ground during Monday's session at New Road. The all-rounder Watson is the squad's spare batsman and is recovering from a minor thigh injury that ruled him out of the opening warm-up in Hove last week and will sideline him again for the final fixture before the Ashes.

John Gloster, the former India physio, has suggested that the Indian players skip the Indian Premier League (IPL) ahead of the major ICC tournaments and tours to avoid mental fatigue. Gloster said the players must be feeling the strain of playing away from home for lengthy periods, which puts additional pressure on their family life.

Chhoto Nala Adarsha Club posted a 10-run victory over Munigrame Ujjal Smrity Club in a rain-interrupted match of the first Teletalk cricket tournament at the Khagrachari Government High School ground yesterday.

Bangladesh Solar Energy Society placed yesterday a 14-point proposal including easy term loan for self-financed renewable energy projects before the government for the expansion of the sector amid increasing power crisis.

Inflation in advanced economies dropped to 0.1 percent in the 12 months to the end of May, but US and Japanese prices fell marking deflation and eurozone prices showed zero change, OECD data showed on Tuesday.

Metropolitan

The authorities should consult the political parties before adopting an education policy in order to avoid frequent changes in the policy every time a new government comes to power, speakers at a roundtable said yesterday.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon will visit Myanmar on July 3-4 at the invitation of the government to highlight key issues such as the need to release all political prisoners, including Nobel Peace Prize laureate and democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Increased frequency of natural disasters caused by global climate change is creating a whole new level of crisis and challenges in terms of providing safe water and sanitation facilities, speakers at a consultation meeting said yesterday.

The government should form a labour commission to formulate agricultural labour law to give proper recognition to and ensure welfare of the farmers, who account for 48 percent of the total labour force, speakers at a media briefing said yesterday.

Illegal rock and sand extraction, which has been going on unabated in the bordering Shao river bed and khas land in and around Bhazanpur border area under Tentulia upazila, has become a cause of concern for ecological balance in the area.

To strengthen the local government, training is essential for union parishad (UP) chairmen and members, especially women, to know about their roles, duties and responsibilities as most of them are in dark about the duties and rights, speakers at a seminar said yesterday.

Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) yesterday strengthened its two battalions -- Naikhyangchhari in Bandarban and Teknaf in Cox's Bazar -- by adding one company of border guards to each battalion, says a press release.

Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (Wasa) yesterday signed an agreement with a Danish firm M/S Carlbro/Grontmij to prepare a design to replace the old pipelines of the Wasa or setting new pipelines for water supply.

Police recovered a touchstone statue of Hindu goddess 'Kali' worth Tk 2.5 crore in Srimongal upazila on Monday night. Acting on a tip-off, the law enforcers went to Shankarsena village and recovered the statue weighing 2.5 kilogram from the roof of the house of a former UP member. They took the statue to Srimongal Police Station.

At least 11 people were injured, six of them seriously, in a clash between the activists of Jubo League and Jubo Dal at Biprobelghoria village in Sadar upazila yesterday morning over establishing supremacy in the area. Police and locals said AL activists, led by Ramzan Ali and Shahidul Islam, attacked the house of Jubo Dal activist Bablu in the morning. As Bablu's followers counter attacked, there ensued a clash between the two rival groups. The seriously injured were admitted to Natore Sadar Hospital.

Transport came to a halt for about an hour on Rikabibazar-Lamabazar road causing untold sufferings to commuters as unruly activists of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) put up a barricade on the road on Monday night protesting arrest of some fellows on charge of extortion. The BCL men were caught by traders at Rathajatra fair at Rikabibazar in the city at about 9:00pm. Later, they were handed over to police. At this stage, a group of BCL activists swooped on police and snatched away their fellows, police and locals said.

BDR personnel seized smuggled Indian sarees, three piece garments, pants and T-shirts worth 13 lakh taka in Phulbari upazila yesterday afternoon, BDR sources said. BDR recovered those while being transported to other parts of the country from Kawkhalimore in Phulbari Sadar upazila. Earlier, the clothes were imported from India illegally.

Letters

The king of pop Michael Jackson died after suffering a cardiac arrest on last Friday. With his demise, the world has lost a sensational pop star cum dancer who was famous for his exceptional on-stage live performances.

The population of Dhaka city is over 1 crore. The taxis and autos plying on the roads of Dhaka have proper "meters". But none of these vehicles operate on "meters". People are compelled to pay the fare demanded by the drivers, which is exorbitant. You will not find such a situation in any country of the world. Our police administration has miserably failed to control these taxi and autowallas.

Over the decades, Dhaka, one of the megacities of the world, is getting populated by degrees. This is really an alarming news for the city dwellers as it creates manifold problems for them but everyone along with our government ignores the issue. The capital city has become the centre of all concerns officially, semi-officially or unofficially. Keeping this in mind, people from all walks of life rush towards Dhaka in search of better livelihood. Now, the population crosses over forty million and day by day it is increasing.

Your correspondent's front-page headline report on June 13th about the huge task of budget implementation is a natural forethought that many of us feel! One wonders if the programme is too much for our conservative bureaucratic work mode usually tied up with endless red-tape, which is our norm of work! Side by side, in the next column by Tushir; there is the talk of a "Supervisory Body" being set up. Will it add more red-tape, or curtail it? That is the fundamental issue. It all depends on the determination of our political government, whether they have the will to take pragmatic unpopular decisions when needed, and take it quickly; and hopefully not get mired down with too many "stay orders" and "injunctions" from the courts.

In the smaller cities and rural areas, the government could approve prototype models for architectural and civil eng. designs, for quick construction of cheaper hostel accommodation for the school and college students; using local low-cost materials [patronising the SMEs).

Many seminars, discussions, meetings were held during the pre-budget period. Bright sons of the soil were sharing their views and practical thoughts about how to prepare the budget and how to implement it and if the country can run as per their prescriptions, Bangladesh will be “Sonar Bangla” immediately. All these were table talks and carried no value.

Mr Ashraful, just after our team's loss to Ireland you said that you needed to visit an eye-specialist. You did not accompany your team on returning home and stayed back. People say you thought it was a smart idea to cover your poor (silly) batting performance. They also say that it was nothing but a foolish, shameful excuse to avoid the media. Let's analyse a few of your statements you made after coming back from your mission T20 World Cup 2009:

The nationwide programme of administering vitamin A & deworming drug in children created huge controversy about the safety of drugs in children. In the national dailies many reports said that children felt sick after taking medicines during the programme and some children even died soon after. Meanwhile, a government committee investigated the incidence and claimed that no toxic effects were observed in children taking these medicines. This statement directly contradicts the reports published in the national dailies and broadcast by the electronic media. Despite the claim of the government committee, the fear of the local peoples has not vanished yet. If this is not clearly removed from people's mind, similar programmes will not succeed in future. But the success of these programmes is crucial for improving the health status of the children. So it's very important now to go through a more extensive and creditable investigation so that the truth can be found out clearly.

Presently, drug addiction is not only a national but also a global problem. This addiction gives rise to social crimes. When the addicts cannot afford to buy drugs, they commit many kinds of social crimes.

It is heartening to learn that Aktel-The Daily Star “ENGLISH IN SCHOOLS' programme has started its voyage towards ensuring a brighter future for the students across Bangladesh through correct English learning in their own school premises. This is indeed a pragmatic step towards preparing our future generation in a competitive world of limited resources and opportunities.

It is good to see that like 70 countries of the world, Bangladesh has also decided to advance the clock by one hour to save the day light in an effort to minimize the prevailing power crisis. It is definitely a historic decision. The countries which have adopted the DST (daylight saving) system could manage to save on power consumption and we also believe that our country will do the same.

The statement of State Minister for Science & Technology that the Rooppur nuclear power plant would hopefully start generating power in five years adding 1000 MW of electricity to the national grid is big news for the nation that is suffering from crippling power crisis. This would-be nuclear power plant was established about half a century ago on 260 acres of land at Rooppur in Pabna. Even today I cherish the fond memory of participating in precession demanding the construction of this nuclear power plant during my student life at BUET in late sixties. Responsible Ministers of this government are also telling that the first Padma Bridge at Mawa and the second one at Paturia will be completed within the next 3-5 years. The Prime Minister herself told that whatever it costs, the government would retrieve the country's complete river system.

International

A body of 12 clerics declared Iran's disputed presidential vote valid and free of major fraud, paving the way for President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to be sworn in next month despite claims of vote manipulation that sparked weeks of massive protest.

With the Pakistan Army intensifying its offensive against the Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) chief Baitullah Mehsud in South Waziristan, the United States, with an aim to provide a wide array of videos and other information on the extremists' movements, has resumed secret drone surveillance over the lawless tribal areas along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, US and Pakistan officials said.

The Congress party on Monday said the money used for installing statues of Dalit icons by Uttar Pradesh's Chief Minister Mayawati could have been used for upliftment of the poor and backwards in the state.

Bhutanese Prime Minister Lyonchhoen Jigmi Y Thinley Monday categorically ruled out the existence of any anti-India insurgent group in his country ever since the Royal Bhutan Army conducted a successful operation in 2003 to flush out ultras from within its territory.

Yemenia, whose airliner crashed into the Indian Ocean off the Comoros islands on Tuesday, is the national carrier of one of the world's poorest countries and until now had a relatively incident-free record.

Arts & Entertainment

Sarbari Roy Choudhury is a leading figurative sculptor of India whose work immerses the viewers in the infinite varied human moods as well as relationships, personal styles, temperaments and idiosyncrasies. His works in bronze capture the emotion and vitality, sensuality and strength of the human form. Bronze sculptures are interesting because the appearance of the surface changes in terms of lighting. Bengal Gallery of Fine Arts in collaboration with Akar Prakar, a Kolkata based gallery, has jointly organised a solo exhibition titled “Sensibility Objectified” featuring works of the sculptor at Bengal Gallery of Fine Arts in Dhanmondi.

Dozens of previously unknown Michael Jackson songs, including a warning about climate change, which he was composing two days before he died, are expected to restore his children's fortunes in the months and years ahead.

This correspondent caught up recently with Shama Rahman, an epitome of grace and beauty, at the India International Centre, a hub for the culture vultures in the capital. Clad in a grey sari with red orchids in her hair, around her neck and wrist, Shama was here to perform for the Delhi audience, comprising largely Bengalis.

OP-ED

WHILE returning from the Aila affected areas, I watched part of the budget speech of the honourable finance minister in a rural tea stall surrounded by a group of villagers. They were surprised by my rapt attention to the speech and some wondered aloud: What's the use of watching the budget speech? If the wood apple ripens, how does it help the crow? Will we get any share of the crores of taka of the budget?

IN the last US presidential election, Americans voted in favour of Barak Obama's call for change. Like the US election, the people of Bangladesh voted in favour of AL's call for change and promise to build a Digital Bangladesh. Thus, the people's expectations from this government are immense. This piece is an attempt to express my expectations from the RU authority.